


The Little Things

by JaqueDark



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M, Rugby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-25
Updated: 2014-03-08
Packaged: 2017-11-04 07:35:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/391362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaqueDark/pseuds/JaqueDark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto meets him through his girlfriend's friend. He's always been sure that he was an average hetero bloke but ever since Jack appeared all the little things he's used to have been messed up. Including his sexuality!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

How did it come to this? He wondered as he stood on the pitch staring up into the stands. There were a few rows of screaming fangirls all desperate for his attention... hell, in the past he could have showered them with it, he would have taken several of them to a hotel room and showed him just how good a fly-half he was. But that was the past, his eyes dipped to land on the tall american standing there cuddling between two women to keep warm.

It was a piss-poor day weather wise and yet he was there. Ianto couldn't help but smile before he turned his mind to the game

"Come on number ten!" he heard Jack's voice followed by Gwen's then Toshiko's all calling to support him. He couldn't help but smile at the adulation then turned his mind back to the game as it took off and a try was had.

An hour later Ianto was standing topless in the locker room as the team celebrated their victory, they'd won the trophy and someone had brought in several bottles of champagne; he enjoyed celebrating with them but there was somewhere else he wanted, needed, to be.

"You can't ditch the team now, we're going on the town!" complained Andy, one of the locks "There's going to be girls. Lots of girls! All wanting to sleep with us!"

"Sorry, Andy, but I really have to go. You all have a drink in my honour" he said as he pulled on another shirt then tugged on his jeans over his uniform shorts. Ianto grabbed his bag, bid goodbye to people on passing then hurried out of the locker room to the carpark.

The shiny black SUV was waiting for him, he climbed in throwing his bag down in the back before looking at the driver and smirked, he pulled Jack in for a bruising victory kiss

"Drive" he ordered him and they were off heading home to 'celebrate'...

_Three Years Earlier_

"You'll behave yourself, won't you, no getting drunk like last time? Gwen is a really old friend and I haven't seen her in five years" Tosh told him, he looked at his girlfriend in disbelief

"I'm not some welsh lech" he protested, she fixed him with an 'oh yeah?' stare and he sighed "That was one time and I apologised, I thought we agreed never to bring it up after I let you spend all that money in that computer shop"

"You're right. I'm sorry... it's just I haven't seen Gwen in such a long time and I want things to be perfect. I want her to see how perfect my wonderful, sexy boyfriend is... last I heard she was with that Jack guy"

"Hm, and you just want to show me off?" he pulled her close leaning down to kiss her, she chuckled before deepening the kiss

"Oh would you look at that!" came a surly, rather hormonal voice "They're full on having sex in the street"

"Now Gwen, they're not... and you shouldn't talk so loud, they can hear you" answered a thick male's voice. Toshiko pulled away to look and who was insulting her and came face to face with a rather heavily pregnant Gwen Cooper

"Gwen!"

"Tosh?" gasped Gwen when she realised who it was "I didn't recognise you! Come here!"

The two woman hugged and exchanged pleasantries while their men hung in the background, Ianto rolled his eyes before stepping forward and clearing his throat

"Oh, yeah, Gwen this is my boyfriend, Ianto Jones, Ianto this is Gwen"

"Nice to meet you" she shook hands with him "This useless lump here is my better half"

"I'm Rhys... you're not Ianto Jones of the Cardiff Blues are ya?"

"The one and the same"

"Oh my god! I knew it! You're a legend!"

"Thanks" snorted Ianto, he'd gotten used to the praise and compliments since joining the team and now he kinda liked it

"You play football? I didn't know your boyfriend was a football player, does that make you a wag?" Gwen asked cheekily as the couple walked into the pub

"Not football, Gwen, rugby!" complained Rhys and the two of them launched into stats and previous games.

"Men" Tosh rolled her eyes and the two of them chuckled. Ianto kept one ear on what the girls were gossiping about and one ear to Rhys

"I'm going to get the drinks, what is everyone having?" asked Rhys. They prattled off their orders then sat down

"I hope you don't mind but a friend of mine is coming to join us" explained Gwen when they were lounging on the comfortable leather sofa near the fireplace "He just signed his first book deal on linguistics so he's coming to celebrate"

"I don't mind" Tosh shook her head before curling up against Ianto almost possessively

"Great, he should be here any minute!" she grinned her gap toothed smile.

Ianto was wondering where Rhys had gone and if he needed help when he spotted a breathtakingly gorgeous creature moving through the pub towards them; his heart almost stopped and his eyes roved the man hungrily. It started beating again then broke when he sat down next to Gwen, cupped her face and kissed her

"Hey you" she greeted the newcomer, American

"Hey yourself, hey little one" he cooed as he put his hands on her stomach. Ianto just watched with growing sickness; things took a turn for the worse when Rhys cleared his throat. Oh god, thought Ianto, as the welshman stood there holding a tray of drinks looking like a complete muppet

"Harkness, get your hands off my wife" joked Rhys as he set the tray down and laughed with the man who stood up and pulled him into a big man hug before he sat down on the other side of Gwen

"This is my best friend Jack Harkness" Gwen announced "That's my best friend from High School Tosh Sato and her boyfriend Ianto Jones"

"Hi" Jack smiled shyly at Ianto unable to hide the blush that spread across his cheeks

"So, Tosh, what on Earth have you been doing with yourself since high school?"

"I'm a IT consultant and I teach at the university. After I did my masters, it just seemed like the thing to do. What about you?" she nodded at the baby bump that had the welshwoman beaming from ear to ear

"I'm a cop. I met Rhys in college and we started dating and the rest is history. I love him" she chuckled as she squeezed his arm leaning forward to brush her nose against his

"Last I heard you were dating some guy called Jack" she replied as she picked up her drink, popping the straw in her mouth as she stroked Ianto's thigh

"Yeah that'd be me" Jack chuckled

"Oh" she blushed with embarrassment "I'm sorry... I didn't..."

"It's okay, Tosh" Rhys told her "As soon as I was on the scene he didn't stand a chance"

"Had nothing to do with the fact that I'm gay" Jack rolled his eyes before winking at Ianto "So Ianto, what do you do?"

"Oh him? He's just a rugby player" she waved her hand flippantly

"Not just a rugby player!" Rhys came to defend his honour and suddenly Gwen's husband was his new best friend, thanks Rhys! "He's the best fly-half the Blues have had in years. He's bloody brilliant"

"I didn't understand a word of that"

"I play for the Cardiff Blues. I'm a professional rugby player" he replied before downing his drink, the room felt closed off and he couldn't help but feel tense. He was feeling a little annoyed at Tosh's dismissal of his career "I'm going to get some air then I'm going to get a drink... um, where is..." he pulled out a pack of smokes and looked round

"It's out that way, do you mind if I join you?" Jack asked pulling out his own brand, Ianto swallowed nervously but shrugged nonchalant "Great, we'll leave the girls to catch up"

The two of them walked quietly up the stairs to the smoking area that was devoid of life, the night was just cooling down after the rarity of a warm day and the stars shone brightly. Ianto lit up and leaned against the balcony railings, Jack did the same and came to stand next to him.

Ianto could feel the comfortable pressure of the other man's arm against his and it made him feel lightheaded and more than a little turned on, he didn't know what was going on with him!

"So... rugby" drawled Jack in his thick voice, Ianto turned to look at him and froze. Their faces were mere inches apart and all the blood in the welshman's body rushed south

"I..." he choked then he remembered that Tosh was downstairs, a beautifully sexy woman with great legs and who could talk dirty to him in Japanese. He shouldn't be attracted to other men, he wasn't no poof.

"You're with Tosh" declared Jack finally, sounding heartbroken like someone had just run over his puppy

"Yeah" he nodded not sounding too happy about it. With a sigh, Ianto stubbed out his cigarette mostly unsmoked then went back inside to get a very stiff drink sans ice.

The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, he didn't need to look to know that Jack was staring at him constantly because he was doing his very best not to stare back. Everyone got drunk apart from Gwen and Jack. Tosh seemingly forgot about her orders for him not to get drunk as she was tipsy enough to stagger in those impressively large heels, he bid goodbye to his new friends and escorted her towards the taxi rank.

She was asleep as soon as the cab door shut, he sat there with her curled up against him and he reached for his wallet. Something tumbled to the floor and he picked it up; it was Jack's business card with his phone number scrawled on the back. He blushed, unable to hide the grin before he slid it back into his jacket pocket. He had to carry Toshiko up the stairs to her apartment but since she was small and light he didn't mind so much.

The very next day he went out to the nearest book shop he could find and bought Jack's book before heading home to his own flat.

Jack sat at his computer reading the brief paragraph that was on the Cardiff Blue's webpage about Ianto Jones. He was a fly half, whatever that was, and he was good. He knew that he should have been doing work but ever since he saw a picture of Ianto in his rugby uniform half covered in mud jumping forward to catch the ball he'd been distracted. How the hell could anyone work with an image like that in front of them?

"I wonder if he'd like it if I went to one of his games?" he mumbled to himself then opened a new window to see when they were next playing "I wonder if he got my card?" Jack knew he was talking to himself, and it was the first sign of insanity, but he didn't care as he fixed his gaze on his telephone sitting there at the desk.

He growled angrily at it after he'd sat staring at it for ten minutes, he picked up the receiver to check it was working before placing it back in the cradle "Ring dammit!"

As if on queue a bell went off and he snatched up the phone before he realised that it wasn't his phone but his doorbell. Someone was at the door. Opening it he found Gwen standing there holding two cardboard cups and a bag of banoffee muffins

"Gwen? What are you doing here?"

"Rhys is at work and I want to have a girls day. Besides I know you... I know that you should be working but you're obsessing"

"Come in, get off your feet and give me my coffee!" he ordered her helping her in taking a coffee from her hand. She followed her ex-boyfriend into his study where he was(n't) working and sat down on the small two seater sofa

"I'm not obsessing, I was really quite busy" he protested as soon as he'd settled down with his coffee. She raised a brow, lifted herself off the cough so she could nudge his mouse revealling the very large picture he'd found when he'd googled Ianto

"Really?" she couldn't help but smirk as she sat down, dropping herself down putting a hand around her stomach protectively "Only you can fall for unavailable people... and straight people at that"

"I'm not so sure he's straight"

"Why?" she drawled narrowing her eyes at him before shaking her head "No! You are not stealing Toshiko's boyfriend! She happens to be a really good old friend and I'm not going to let you upset her just because of some crush. Yes he's good looking but very, very taken! They're close to moving in together!"

"I'm not going to steal him, Gwen, I was just... appreciating a cute face. Besides, why on earth would he even go for a guy like me? I'm an effeminate queen that my family shun... how the hell would anyone be attracted to me"

"If you're going to throw yourself a pity party, I'm going to have to hit you! Have you not looked in the mirror lately? You're bloody gorgeous! Unlike me! I'm a whale"

"You're not a whale. You... glow" he sighed before leaning back in his chair taking a sip of his coffee

"Whatever" she smiled as she rolled her eyes before changing the topic "So I take it your next book isn't going too well?"

"Actually I got more written than expected, I'm ahead, that's why I took a little break. Gwen..." he began testing the waters, he didn't want to upset his best friend "What if Ianto called me?"

"Has he?" she almost shrieked, he shook his head

"No, but what if he does? I... I like him and if he shows an interest in me... what if he's confused about his sexuality?"

"Hm, so confused that he's dating a woman. I can see his dillema, Jack... if he shows an interest and stuff happens then I want you to tell Tosh. She deserves to know that Ianto is bender"

Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes; but he thought about it. He knew that he was hoping for something that would never happen but it couldn't hurt to fantasise "Get your head out of the clouds and come give me a foot rub"

"You're a bossier bitch than me" he teased her as he moved over to the couch picked up her feet, slipping her shoes off, and started to rub her feet "Oh the things I do for you"

"Shut up, I brought you muffins and coffee. That equals helping me get my cankles down"

"You do not have cankles!" he snapped at her; he and Rhys had been trying to be extremely encouraging about the weight she'd put on with her pregnancy

"Don't toy with me Harkness" she replied before she closed her eyes as his hands worked his magic.

She easily drifted off the sleep and he returned to his computer to get more work down. Half an hour after she nodded off, Jack's phone rang; probably Rhys calling to check where his wife was

"Hey Rhys, yeah she's here, fell asleep after complaining about her cankles" he said as soon as he picked up then blinked when he heard someone on the other end trying not to laugh his head off "Hello? Who is this? Rhys?"

"No... it's um, it's Ianto..."

"You are Ianto how... hi" he cursed himself as he fell back into the disposition he used to have when he got nervous. It had been a long time since he'd muddled his words; he had it bad.

"Um... I was... uhh... Tosh is having a girl's night so I was wondering if you and Rhys would like to do a lad's thing? You know, a pub crawl?" Jack had never been on a pub crawl in his life, honestly he'd be more inclined to the idea of a girl's night but Ianto was asking him out

"Sure! I'd love you... to! I'd love to!" he closed his eyes hoping the ground would just swallow him up.

"Great... um can I pick you up? Nine okay for you?"

"Yeah, yeah it's... great" he nodded his head feeling like a complete moron "I'll text you my address, see you later"

"Bye" Ianto rung off and he put the phone down. Oh God, he gasped before burying his head in his hands. He never expected Ianto to ring him and now everything suddenly felt ten times as bad; he tried to focus on how angry Tosh would be if he stole her boyfriend but all he could think about was Ianto's sexy voice.

TBC...


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

It was all wrong. So very, very wrong and he was a very bad man. He couldn't help but think of how he was going to end up in hell, he'd never done anything like before and he'd always thought that cheating was disgusting. But you haven't done anything yet, his mind reasoned with him, you're not going to do anything! You're just friends! Yeah right, Ianto shook his head, if it was just friends why had he failed to mention to Rhys about the lad's night out? And why the hell was he planning on telling Jack that Rhys hadn't been about to make it because it was too short notice? Oh yeah, I'm so going to hell, he thought.

Then he saw him. God he's gorgeous, his mind screamed as he stood up and nervously looked at Jack suddenly unsure what to do. Should he shake hands with the man? Hug him? Was it too soon after only meeting him? Well, after you'd gotten sufficiently drunk with someone it didn't really matter how many times you'd met before.

"Hey"

"Hey" Jack smiled, almost lighting the room up when he saw Ianto standing there in a fairly tight shirt and tight jeans. They stared at each other longingly before Jack noticed that Rhys was no where in sight "Where's Rhys?"

"Oh he couldn't make it. There was a problem at work..." lied Ianto biting his lip as he sat down, Jack sat down opposite him and they sat there for a moment before Ianto sighed "Actually, Rhys doesn't know about this... I sorta forgot to mention it to him. I thought it'd be good if we could get to know each other since my girlfriend is friends with your friends and well.."

"It's okay. I think it'd be good too. So um, what are you drinking?"

"Carlsberg... here" he handed him a tenner, their fingers brushed as the money swapped hands "I'll get this round and you get the next?"

"Sure" he nodded and went off to get the drinks. He came back carefully carrying Ianto's pint while he carried two bottles of fruity blue liquid. Ianto quirked a brow in surprise "What?"

"They're girly drinks"

"Well if you hadn't already noticed I'm probably about as girly as you can get without actually have tits and a vagina" he replied at the very same moment Ianto took a sip of his beer and choked on it "Shit, are you okay?"

"I'm fine" Ianto croaked as he wiped spilt beer off his face. Jack just stared at the welshman as he wiped his mouth and licked his lips, watching that tongue peek out lapping up the excess liquid

"Oh God" gasped Jack before realising that 1, he was staring and 2 he'd spoken aloud.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" inquired Ianto looking down to check he hadn't spilt any beer on his jeans

"No... um sorry. So... rugby, does it pay well?"

"Nowhere near as good as the professional footballers get but yeah it pays well enough to keep me afloat and whenever major games come around there's always a good chance I get picked to play away. What about you... you're a writer aren't you?" he asked before bringing his glass to his mouth

"I'm a polyglot" Jack announced which had Ianto choking on his drink once more from surprise

"You're a what?"

"A linguist. I am fluent in several languages, even a few obscure ones so I write about them. I write about each language and how it originated and evolved

"Wow, that sounds very technical..." he sat back and they fell into comfortable silence staring at each other. Ianto couldn't wipe the smile off his face despite how nervous he felt "Does it pay well"

"Yeah, I sell a lot of copies and since I don't have anyone to look after I can spend my money how I choose. Like buying the next round" he grinned "So, how long have you and Tosh?"

"Not long... a few months. I like her and she's fun to be around but... I dunno"

"Just not your thing?"

"I'm only twenty four, I don't even know what my thing is!" he replied then blushed at what he'd just admitted

"You're young. It means you have time to figure it out"

"Yeah" he mumbled looking away, he downed his pint before slamming the glass down on the little table. Ianto stared at the spare drink Jack had yet to drink until he leaned forward grabbing it up and bringing it to his lips "Can I taste?"

"Sure" breathed Jack, Ianto cursed him; gorgeous bastard! How can he be so at ease when my heart is pounding? I don't even like men, Ianto roared internally! He brought the bottle to his lips and took a sip "How does it taste?"

"It tastes fruity" stated Ianto staring at the drink "I don't know what I was expecting. There is a bit of kick to it"

"Well it is vodka... it's cheap and has enough of a percentage to make things interesting" smirked the writer, Ianto put the drink down and pushed it so it slid across the table closer to it's original owner

"And you like things interesting?" he couldn't help but ask, every word felt dangerous with their double meanings

"Interesting things have their moments" Jack licked his lips seductively and Ianto did his best not to groan "When are we headed to the next bar?"

"Whenever you want" sighed the younger man, he suddenly felt like this was one big mistake and he'd wandered through the looking glass

"You could always come back to mine?" Jack threw it out there and instantly regretted when Ianto's eyes widened. The poor boy looked like a frightened animal as he stood up sharply grabbing his jacket

"I... this shouldn't... I mean I... oh god" he stammered "I need to go"

Jack jumped to his feet grabbing Ianto's arm stopping him from leaving, he really didn't want him to go

"Don't go" he begged "Please, I'm sorry"

"I can't..." whispered Ianto, they were so close, their noses brushed... if Jack had enough courage he would have tipped the other man's chin and kissed him like he deserved to be kissed. But he didn't and Ianto pulled away leaving him standing there alone feeling utterly hopeless.

Jack sighed, he finished off his drinks then left heading home cursing himself for blowing something that could have been really good. While he was sure that Ianto felt an attraction to him he had a feeling that the native welshman wouldn't do anything because he was under the pretence that he was 'straight'. He didn't want to hurt Ianto's feelings or insinuate that he was anything but a tough hetero male and the last thing Jack wanted was to force his orientation on him... but the thing was you didn't ask a guy out for drinks like that; he'd never been straight but he was pretty sure that that wasn't the done thing.

It wasn't that late when he got home but he didn't feel like going out again; he was tired and he'd worked hard that day... maybe he'd call Gwen and see how she was doing? No, he couldn't do that, she was probably having a nice night in with Rhys.

In the end Jack decided to head to bed with a good book and he wondered how boring his life had gotten. He lay in bed angry that he felt so lonely all of a sudden, he'd never had this problem before he laid eyes on Ianto. Jack had always been so sure of himself, he could make friends with anyone and he'd always been fairly lucky on the dating side of things; no, this is began when he met Ianto. It was _that_ man that was the problem, not him, if he stayed away from him then he didn't have to second guess everything and all his sudden insecurities would go away! Jack lay awake for most of the night trying to think of someone or something other than Ianto frigging Jones.

Ianto didn't sleep a wink that night... he couldn't. He was so ashamed of what he felt and how close he'd come to betraying Toshiko. So in the end he got himself a large crate of beer and took it home where he could drink himself silly, yes it was wrong and yes he didn't care. All he wanted was to shut his brain off from all the confusion.

Sitting in the near darkness he downed a can before tossing it aside so he could open another; what the hell was happening to me, he wondered. All this time he'd dated and had girlfriends and been _so sure_ that he was straight! It was Jack. Jack was the problem! Ianto snatched up another can, his third, and downed it with ease; as long as he stayed away from Jack then he'd be okay. He could go back to normal and get on with his life! Another can. He'd marry Tosh and they'd have kids and once he retired from rugby he'd become a manager or something and have a long wonderful career! There would be no more of this gay business!

In his growing drunken stupor he failed to realise that life just didn't work like that and he was in way over his head already.

The next morning he was still drunk and missed training at the club because he was too out of it to drive.

It was several days before Jack and Ianto saw it each other; they'd both been kidding themselves that everything had gone back to normal so when they saw each other at the supermarket it threw them.

"Hey" Jack greeted him nervously

"Hey" he couldn't help but smile back when he heard Jack's nervous tone "How've you been?"

"I'm-I've been good. You?"

"Yeah" nodded Ianto, he bit his lip unsure of what to do or say. Jack looked like he was about to move on with his trolley but Ianto took a breath for courage before getting the Americna's attention "I'm sorry!"

Jack blinked in surprise, he'd been pretty sure that Ianto was giving him the brush off again and if that was so then he wasn't going to stand around like some love sick idiot

"Excuse me?"

"For the other night. I shouldn't have took off like that especially after asking you out... I just..."

"It's okay. Apology accepted, friends?" he suggested making Ianto grin from ear to ear

"Friends" he agreed then held out his hand. Jack reached out their fingers touching briefly before their hands slid together to shake.

"Do you want to... I dunno, there's a pretty big rugby ugame on tonight... New Zealand's playing. Want to come round and watch it with me?"

"Oh I dunno..."

"Okay" Jack shrugged it off pretending that it didn't hurt. Ianto shook his head because of the misunderstanding

"Let me finish. I was going to get together with all the guys from the team to watch it, but it'll be loud and noisy and I think, I'd rather... y'know... watch it with you. I mean to make up for the other night" rambled Ianto "I could bring drinks and you could get snacks and we could watch it. Together" Oh god, his mind yelled at him, did you really just say 'together'?

"I'd like that"

"Great! I'll see you then" said Ianto; to hell with his idea of ignoring Jack. The man made him feel all giddy inside and he was beginning to like it!

Toshiko stepped into the large computer superstore and sucked in a sharp breath of the atmosphere; this was her world and she loved it more than anything! Ianto didn't understand her desire for hardware and although he was very impressed that she could take apart a computer and improve it once she put it back together he didn't understand why she did it. Sometimes it felt like no one understood her when it came to computers and technology, she just wished that one day she'd be appreciated for her skills.

She grabbed a trolley and went perusing the aisles, she needed more wires because she was going to try and connect all her computers up to run maintenance on them. The old wire she had had gone missing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tosh spotted a rather young man smartly dressed in the superstores' uniform watching her; she couldn't help but smike as she realised what he was doing. He was casing her thinking that she was some dumb computer shy woman, big mistake pal, she thought then she decided to have some fun. She picked up two different fire wires and looked over the specs listed on the front pretending to be confused by them all and then he pounced.

"Can I help you?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing, my boyfriend wanted me to get a wire and I don't know which is which!" she explained; if she weren't so good with computers she should have gone into acting.

"Do you know what kind of computer your boyfriend has? What does he need the wire for?"

"I don't know and he has a blue computer with one of those apple things on them. A mike I think they're called" she told him wondering how on earth she was managing to keep a straight face. Over the salesman's shoulder that she recognised John Hart from her university days and he recognised her; he seemed to have caught on to what she was doing and he winked at her

"Do you mean a Mac?" the salesman suggested, she nodded enthusiastically

"Yeah that's the one!" she couldn't help but grin and John did his best to hide his laughter

"Right, well if he wants to connect his computer to a TV he'll need this wire. If he wants to connect it to another terminal or a scanner or printer he'll need this one"

"Thank you so much" she replied then she got serious putting the offered wires back "Now I'd like to talk to the floor manager" he seemed surprised by her request but he went and fetched the manager. John Hart took the time to come over to her

"Long time no see little princess" he pulled her into a hug which she happily returned

"Hello John, how are you?"

"I'm good. That was really entertaining to watch... you do realise that kid is going to piss himself when he realises who you are and the extent of your expertise"

"Eh he had it coming" she replied "So, how's work? You went into the army didn't you?"

"Yeah, communications. I'm still a great big geek and they all treat me like one"

"Oh tell me about it!" she rolled her eyes playfully then she saw the salesman coming back with the manager in tow. Russell West's eyes lit up when he saw her, he'd been the manager of this store for five years and she was their best and most valued customer. She'd always come to him when she needed supplies for the University or for extra projects

"Miss Sato!" he greeted her "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm having an overhaul. I'm running maintenance on all the computers I have and I need cables to connect them together. I think some of my students have been using the stations at the University to try and hack into my home base to change his grades; the fool"

"Ah I see. Those cables are further down the aisle, I'll get Tommy to take you. Tommy, she's to have the 10% discount for top customers" he told the salesman who was now very pale. As soon as he'd mentioned her name poor Tommy had known instantly who she was.

"Um yes sir" he nodded then led Toshiko, and John, down the ailse to where the wires she needed were before scurrying off to hide in embarrassment.

"It's good seeing you again, princess, but I'd like to see more of you. I'm on leave for the next six months while I'm going over my training and I wouldn't mind spending some of those six months with you"

"Forward as ever aren't you, Vera?" Tosh couldn't help but chuckle, he shrugged his shoulders offering her that same old flirty smile

"I do only have six months leave, I'd rather not waste time. Not with you" he confessed

"I'd like that but only as friends. I have a boyfriend"

"That's nice" he answered her flippantly "I'm sure he's a very nice guy. But does he know why you prefer computer maintenance in your underwear? Do you still do that?"

"Do you?" she countered thinking back to all the projects they worked on together and the times they worked in their underwear; it was an old joke from a comic about 'overheating'.

"Yep, I usually get told off for stripping off. So I take it he doesn't get it, I bet he's never even heard of the joke? Meet me tomorrow for lunch, we can catch up"

"Maybe"

"I'm hacking into your phone to get your number as we speak" he joked as he pulled out his phone. She exchanged numbers with him; John had always been a good friend while she was at Uni but she never understood why they didn't have a physical relationship. There attraction had been there just never acted upon

"I'll see you tomorrow" she agreed finally

"Great, and you can tell me how the overhaul went" he leaned down pressing a kiss to her cheek before he wandered off to get what he came in for.

TBC...


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Okay! What does one buy for entertaining a very manly rugby player questioning his sexuality? Even this seemed a little surreal for me, Jack thought as he wandered the aisles of the supermarket. A fancy romantic meal was out, that would just have Ianto running for the hills!

He picked up a bag of potato chips and stared at them in wonder before picking up another one; he turned them over and read the ingredients and health stats on the back of the packet before putting both of them back in disgust. Jack sighed and grabbed up the first bag again and threw it into the trolley, he absolutely hated junk food but he wanted to make a good impression for Ianto. He wanted the guy to _like_ him, more so than the few shy smiles and comfortable silences he'd already received from the sexy welshman besides it didn't mean he had to eat the damn chips!

He got pre-breaded and spicy chicken wings and made sure to grab a crate of beer, the same brand that Ianto had drunk on their 'lad's night' then went to pay for it.

"Having a party?" asked the checkout girl

"Something like that" he replied with a grin "I'm trying to seduce a slightly unsure straight man" the poor girl's eyebrows nearly shot up into her hairline. She nodded her head, opening and closing her mouth while she stared at him

"Well... uhh good luck with that!" she helped him pack and then Jack hurried away more than embarrassed about revealing his plans to a complete stranger. It made him sound mad! Looking at the purchases sitting on the passenger seat of the car he was beginning to think he was.

Ianto looked through his wardrobe, he'd just gotten out of the shower and was padding round his bedroom dripping wet in nothing but a towel wrapped loosely round his hips. He'd showered and shaved, put on his best cologne and deoderant and now he was looking at what to wear.

As he stood staring at his clothes he suddenly felt extremely girly and he hated it. In the end he pulled on some dark blue fitted jeans a grey jersey then his rugby shirt before pulling the sleeves of the jersey up his arms. He grinned at himself in the mirror; so definitely not girly, he told himself. Then he went about fixing his hair, drying it quickly then spiking it up messily with gel.

Ianto grabbed his watch, looking at it... it was getting later, if he didn't leave now then he'd be late for Jack. Sighing frustratedly he flopped down on his bed; if I go now then that's it, I'll be completely bender... a poof, but if I don't... Jack's happy face appeared in his head making butterflies dance in his stomach.

"That's it!" he muttered, he grabbed his keys and left.

It didn't take him all that long to find Jack's place, it wasn't that far from where he lived. Jack lived in a terraced house with a well tended garden. Ianto walked up the path and knocked on the door.

Jack opened it and looked unbelievably relieved to see him standing there, he stepped aside with an infectious grin on his face

"Come in! Come in!" he ushered the young rugby player into the house before shutting the door behind him "I laid on some food... we could order pizza if you want"

"Nah that's alright. I'm a vegetarian and pizza places don't really appeal to my dietary quirk" he explained straight faced then burst out laughing when Jack paled. He clapped him on the arm still laughing his head off "I'm kidding. Do you really think that my mam would let me grow up without sunday roast?"

"Oh thank god. I got lots and lots of chicken" he explained pointing to the plates of chicken and bowls of potato chips

"Ah, I see you're after my heart!" joked Ianto then both of them realised the implication of the words; Ianto dropped himself down onto the couch cursing his choice of phrase.

"I've never watched a rugby game before" Jack confessed as he sat down next to Ianto and snatched up a wing "Honestly, tonight I should be working. A deadline is coming up at the end of the month and my agent is going to have my ass"

"How's that going? The writing?" Ianto glanced at Jack who turned to face him and there was one of those slow staring moments between them

"Good" Jack said huskily as his eyes flittered down to Ianto's mouth, oh god so close. The noise on the TV distracted them and Ianto turned to see things kicking off

"Do you really want to watch this? Because if you're not a fan of rugby I could always watch the highlights later, we could watch a movie or..." he trailed off unsure what else he could suggest. Jack was still staring at him making him nervous now "I read your book!"

Ianto hadn't exactly meant to shout it but he was just a little uneasy with Jack leering at him hungrily and now Jack was looking at him like he'd grown an extra head "Sorry" he mumbled feeling the blush creep up over his face "It's just I'm nervous. I don't know what to do or say or..."

"Hey" Jack interrupted him "That makes two of us. You've thrown me. I do have a fairly wild track record for guys, and some girls before I came to my senses, but I've never went after a straight guy before. Lusted after them, naturally, but never gone after them. I'm off my game... usually I know what a guy wants but that's only because they want the same things that I do. But not you..."

"I was kinda worried that I was turning into a girl. I'm a bit worried that all of a sudden I'm interested in..." he trailed off realising he was confessing more than he intended to

"In dick? Honey, don't worry about it. If you are then yay for me. Besides... you might not be gay, you might just like both. Naughty boy"

"Like... bisexual?" he mumbled aloud to himself "That sounds so much better than becoming a poof" Jack glared at him "Sorry. I didn't mean... hey I'm part poof!"

"Admitting it already? Took me eight years before I could say that I was a raging homo"

"Really?" gasped Ianto in surprise "Why?"

"Because my family wasn't gay friendly and I was in denial for a very long time" he explained "But now I don't have my parents begging for grandchildren or my brother poking fun at me and I can have as much cock as I want" Ianto choked on his breathe and began coughing violently.

"How can you be so forward"

"Because life is short and I'd rather get what I want instead of hoping I get what I want and not getting it"

"I see" he nodded as he stared at the TV in front of him. He began to get excited and jump up and down "Come on! Come on! Yes! Yes! Come on baby! You can do it! Yeah!" Ianto cheered excitedly before pulling Jack to his feet for a victory dance which consisted of a jumping hug.

"I take it the side you're rooting for just scored" Jack stated once the happy welshman settled back down on the couch

"Yep! If New Zealand win this one then we'll be playing them on home ground" he explained. Jack stared aghast at the figures running around on the pitch

"You'll be playing... them? They're kill you!"

"No they won't. They'll give us good game" he chuckled treating Jack to a warm smile before he turned back to the TV. Despite his reassurances Jack still wasn't sure that he wanted the rather handsome man to go up against those... warriors. Thankfully he was distracted from his worry when Ianto grabbed Jack's hand holding it tightly as another try was being made.

Ianto couldn't take his eyes off the TV but Jack couldn't take his eyes of their clasped hands, when the team scored Ianto jumped to his feet and Jack jumped up with him. He'd never had so much fun cheering for sport before and he was really enjoying himself. Ianto grabbed him into a hug as he crowed the victory then it hit both of them just how close they really were.

Jack pulled back locking eyes with the young fly half, staring into those beautiful blue depths before leaning in slowly bringing their lips together. He brushed his mouth softly over Ianto's, exploring and testing the water before pulling back to see his reaction. Jack saw what he had hoped to see so he went in for another insistent kiss, pressing his mouth more firmly to the younger man's.

Weather worn hands came up to cup Jack's face as the kiss deepened almost naturally lips nipping hungrily, tongues dancing desperately as they tried to get closer to each other. Ianto pulled away when he felt Jack's hands at his hips sliding under his shirt Jack looked very thoroughly debauched and he had no doubt he looked exactly the same.

"Are you okay?" the American writer asked him unsure whether he should leave him be or try and comfort him

"Yeah, yeah... I've never kissed a guy before"

"How was it?"

"Good. I liked it" he nodded lickly his lips "I um... I liked kissing _you._ Oh god" he sank down on the couch burying his head in his hands. Jack sat down next to him

"It's okay you know... if you want to go then I'll understand" he looked down expecting Ianto to do another runner. When their eyes met it looked like he was about to but the heartbroken look on Jack's face held him still

"I could do with a drink"

"Me too" Jack agreed finally, he wandered off to the kitchen and came back with two cool cans of beer.

"Thanks, man" he snapped open the pull and downed a hefty gulp before hiccuping "Why is it so scary?"

"Because of stereotypes. It's new and you're expecting people to look at you like you're strange... because you're different. But it's okay, you're not as different as you think... there are millions of bi-sexual people all over the world. The people who mind don't matter and the people who don't mind matter, there will always be people out there who will accept and care for you. I think I'm beginning to be one of them"

"Really?"

"As odd as that sounds Ianto Jones, yes, I do. You're a rather cute looking guy and I have a feeling you've got a good head on your shoulders"

"It's been a while since anyone hinted that I was clever" he stated as he leaned back against the leather couch and put one foot up on the coffee table "And not just some dumb rugby player"

"You still are a dumb rugby player" Jack joked, Ianto whapped him with a pillow until they ended up having a pillow fight. Then wrestling.

They sat on the couch panting heavily after their wrestling, content to be sprawled over each other as the rugby game continued on the TV "I could get used to that"

"So you want me to spend more time around you?" Ianto asked quietly, Jack fixed him with his attention

"Yeah I'd hope that you would but if you don't want to then I'll understand. I know that this is all new to you and that you're with Toshiko..." at the mention of his girlfriend's name he sat up and reached for his can

"I can't leave her, I mean... she'd be devastated. Especially if I left her for another man" he pointed out

"If you do... if things between us... you should tell her. Gwen's already threatened me about you"

"You told Gwen? She's going to tell Tosh! Why the hell would you do that? I can't believe you'd do that!" Ianto jumped up shouting angrily at Jack "Why the hell... I'm out of here before you do anymore damage!"

"Ianto... wait!" cried Jack as he grabbed the welshman's arm but Ianto just shrugged him off and left slamming the door behind him.

"Great!" shouted Jack as he threw himself down on the couch angrily "I've gone and blown it again!"

The next day Jack stood outside Gwen's flat, he pressed the buzzer and she let him in. She was rather surprised to see him and even more surprised to see the woe-is-me look on his face

"Jack? Whu... what's wrong?" she pulled him in before heading down the hall so she could put the kettle on "I haven't seen you so upset in ages!"

"Ianto came round to mine to watch the rugby match" he confessed

"Jack Antony Harkness you bloody well didn't!" she hissed angrily "I told you to stay away from him! Not invite over!" she softened when she saw how hurt he looked "He didn't... hurt you did he?"

"What? No! We talked and... oh god I kissed him. He was okay with that... we talked about Tosh and sexuality but he lost it when I told him you knew how I felt about him"

"Felt?" she whispered pulling him to sit down on the couch. She stared at him then gasped "Christ Harkness, you've gone and fallen for him haven't you?" he nodded before he started crying

"I really like him. I know he's mostly straight and I know he's with Tosh but I can't help it" he wiped away those fast falling tears and she pulled him into her arms

"It's okay, it's going to be okay"

"He kissed me back. He's a wonderful kisser" he whispered as she stroked his hair "Aren't you supposed to be angry with me?"

"I'll be angry later when Tosh comes crying to me that Ianto's gay. But for now you need me, you're my best friend Jack and I love you"

"I love you too, Gwen, and I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have invited him round..."

"Hey, hey... shhh" she soothed him. He began to drift off to sleep and not longer after that Gwen fell asleep as well.

An hour later Rhys came home to find Jack and Gwen curled up on the couch fast asleep, he could tell that Jack had been crying and he'd come to his best friend for support. He gently shook his wife awake gesturing for her to be quiet as he nodded down at Jack asleep with his head pillowed on her lap

"What happened?" whispered Rhys nodding at Jack, he helped her lift him up so she could get up. Jack cuddled up against the pillows oblivious to the fact that he wasn't using Gwen as a pillow anymore

"You wouldn't believe me if I'd told you! He's gone and fallen for Ianto" she explained as she padded into the kitchen and put the kettle on

"Ianto? The fly half Ianto?"

"Yeah"

"I didn't know he was gay"

"Neither did Ianto" she replied cattily

"Wait a minute!" gasped Rhys "I thought he was with that Tosh? The hot Japanese girl"

Gwen turned round glaring at him with a hurt expression and he knew that he'd said the wrong thing

"So you think she's hot? Hotter than me? Well, I guess she is now that I'm fat!" she sobbed as her face crumpled up. Jack stirred on the couch waking up just in time for Gwen to make a surprisingly fast exit from the room to lock herself in the bathroom.

Rhys glared down at Jack who was looking up at the welshman rather sleepily with his hair sticking up every which way

"You better help me get her out of there or there's going to be hell to pay" he muttered to his wife's best friend

"What happened?"

"We were talking about you and I asked if Ianto was with that hot Tosh girl. Gwen got upset, claimed that I think that Tosh is hotter than she was then went and locked herself in the bathroom" Jack rolled his eyes in disbelief

"Why did you have to use the word hot?"

"Just help me!" Rhys snapped, angry at the situation

"Rhys, got make her some herbal tea. That chai crap she likes to drink... and I'll go get her" he pointed Rhys to the small kitchen while he hurried to the locked bathroom door. Tentatively knocking on it he waited for a reply

"Go away!"

"Gwen, it's Jack" he called through the door

"He called me fat!" she wailed

"No he didn't, come on. Open the door... he's making you tea, it's chai... your favourite! Come on Gwen, I need you... I need my wonderfully sexy and clever friend to tell me what to do. I can't figure all this out without you" there was silence for a moment and then the door cracked open. Her face was tear soaked and as soon as she saw him standing there she threw herself into his arms and sobbed wildly.

Rhys stood in the doorway watching the two friends; Gwen crying and Jack soothing her. As he heard Jack whispering to her he suddenly felt really glad that Jack was in their lives

"He loves you, y'know, he married you not Toshiko. You. He's having a baby with you... I doubt he'd do all that if he didn't think you were hot"

"I think she's bloody gorgeous" he called getting their attention, he slowly walked towards his wife "You're as gorgeous as you were the day I met you and I'm a damn fool if I ever make you think otherwise. Come here sexy" he held out his arms for her and she pulled away from Jack to dive at Rhys. He caught her easily and kissed her stroking her hair softly

"I love you Rhys the rant. You can't half be a bloody idiot at time" she told him as she wiped away her tears. Jack crept past them and went into the kitchen to make dinner for the three of them.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am really sorry for letting so long go by before I updated. Making a conscious effort to do so now... I lost a lot of my fiction when my old laptop (Ebichu) died. So I'm going to post where I've written up to and then see where I go from there.

Tosh lay in bed smiling at the sight before her, she was on her side with her head propped up on her hand just watching him. He'd surprised her and she liked it

"Hey" he grinned looking up at her

"Hey yourself" she replied

"Are you gonna stare at me all day?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I might get tired of just looking and decide to play" she smirked, he chuckled then rolled over on top of her making her giggle.

Neither of them were aware of the man standing in the doorway. Ianto stood there feeling his whole world come apart; although it was true that he'd only been with Tosh for a few months he was sure that things were going well and she was his be all end all. How long have I been deluding myself, he wondered as he watched them rolling around on her bed.

Ianto cleared his throat loudly causing Toshiko and John to spring apart and sit up clamouring for the blanket to cover their nakedity

"Ianto! Oh my god I..."

"Save it" he snapped "Is this because I wasn't man enough? I thought..." he shook his head as tears came to his eyes, he took a step into the room "I was having feelings for someone else. Went as far as kissing but as soon as I knew that you might find out I was worried that you'd be hurt, I knew what I was doing was wrong! I despised the idea of cheating and I turned my back on something so I could keep from hurting you! And you... you...  _this_!"

Tosh grabbed her robe and quickly pulled it on as Ianto fled the bedroom. She hurried after him to see him trying to unwind her front door key off his keyring

"Ianto..."

"Please" he begged turning to face her "Please tell me it wasn't because I wasn't man enough for you. That's all I want to know"

"You were man enough for me" she replied feeling tears come to her eyes. Ianto finally snapped the key off then handed it to her, he pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek before moving to the door

"I hope that you're happy with him" he told her then left.

John padded out of the bedroom with the sheet wrapped around him, he looked down at Tosh and she was crying

"Are you okay?"

"I... I think you should go, John"

"Not until I know you're okay" he replied. She turned around to face him, trying to glare but it was pointless. She sank against him and began crying.

Run. Run. Run. Away. Faster. Further. Just get  _away_! His heart was pounding, his mind was burning and all he could think of was that this was his fault. He'd brought this on himself with his stupid confusion and his self-doubt.

When Ianto stopped running he sucked in desperate breathes, his lungs were burning and he was in a part of Cardiff he didn't quite recognise. He looked up and then he knew where he was! It didn't take him long to find the house, ring the doorbell and throw himself at the man who answered.

Jack was surprised to see a slightly out of breathe Ianto Jones on his doorstep. It had been several days since he'd seen the Welshman and he'd given up hope of ever hearing from him again, it was an even bigger surprise when Ianto kissed him passionately pushing him back into the hall so the door fell shut behind them. After getting over his initial shock he kissed back hungrily only breaking when air was a requirement

"Ianto?"

"I want to be with you" he cried "I  _want_  you"

"What happened?"

"Tosh and me are over. I've come to be with you... I'm tired of running, I'm tired of pretending. I need you, Jack, I need you" the welshman confessed as he began to undo Jack's shirt buttons. Jack thought about it for a moment, it was clear that Ianto was upset and hurt and on the rebound but as those nervous shaking hands completed their task of opening his shirt and started on his pants he realised he couldn't care. Right now it was enough!

Jack pushed the jacket from his shoulders then grabbed the hem of his shirt lifting it clean off and above his head before leaning in initiating the kiss once more. They stumbled topless backwards towards the stairs, Jack with his pants open, as they kissed hungrily. Ianto broke for air, resting his forehead against Jack's as they stared into each other's eyes.

Taking hold of Ianto's hand Jack lead him upstairs to the bedroom. The welshman was scared, terrified but he'd never been so turned on in all his life! Ianto had never done anything like this before, had never wanted to, but now it was all he could think about.

Jack shoved his pants off before reaching taking hold of Ianto's belt, he waited for Ianto to nod that it was okay before continuing. The pair toed their shoes and socks off so they were only dressed in their boxer shorts and that's when the doubt and insecurity set in. While he did want it, it was a far cry from actually accepting.

I'm not gay, he told himself as Jack helped him lay down on the large bed. He watched the self-assured American slide up the bed so that he was partial on top of him

"What do you want, Ianto Jones?" he whispered as one of his hands dipped down his torso to cup him through his shorts. Ianto couldn't help but moan low in his throat as Jack's hand began to stroke and tease him.

"I-I don't..." he muttered but it trailed off as Jack slid his hand under the waist band of his shorts and grasped his erection

"Do you like this?" Jack asked him, Ianto nodded furiously not trusting his voice to answer "Do you want me to use my mouth?"

Ianto's heavy lidded eyes flew open in surprise as he turned to look at Jack who was watching him intently, Jack was panting and his eyes were dark

"Yeah. Please" he said finally finding his voice, it was thick and his accent blurred his words. Jack pressed one final kiss to his mouth before sliding down the bed. Hooking his fingers in the waistband he slowly pulled Ianto's shorts down revealling the large member; looking down at it he silently thanked whatever force in the universe there was for Ianto's massive penis.

Jack's tongue swiped at the head sending the welshman arching up on the bed, he grabbed at his hips holding him down with one hand while taking hold of his lover's erection with the other. One tentative stroke and he was hooked "Oh god Jack... just please..."

He lowered his head wrapping his mouth around the head sucking lightly, Ianto's babbling turned into disjointed whimpers. With his lips firmly wrapped around Ianto's manhood Jack let go of his lover's hip and linked fingers with him as he went down on him "Mm yeah oh guhoood! Jack, I'm gonna... I'm comin!"

Jack didn't miss a beat and swallowed when Ianto came in his mouth. It could have been taken slow but neither of them wanted it that way, the welshman pulled Jack up so they could kiss once more. Their tongues dancing to some hidden beat as hands wandered heated skin; Ianto smirked when he remembered their wrestling the last time he'd been here and he quickly rolled Jack so the older man was pinned beneath him

"Ianto?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you fuck me?" asked Jack and damn if those words didn't shoot straight to Ianto's groin. He looked down at the older American lying there chest rising and falling eratically and he noticed that Jack was still in his boxer shorts, he had to do something about that. He grabbed the band and pulled the shorts swiftly down his lover's legs. That's who he is now, thought Ianto, he's my lover.

"Yes" he uttered as he looked Jack over properly for the first time. Despite being a few years older he was still trim with a toned stomach, his eyes widened when he saw Jack's cock laying heavy against his stomach "God"

"He ain't here..." smirked Jack as he took hold of one of Ianto's hands and led it to his penis. Oh god, oh my god! I'm touching his dick! Feels kinda good... he thought as he held the weight in his hand before sliding his hand down "Ianto!"

His eyes flickered up to stare at Jack's face, slack jawed and overwhelemed and it hit him; that he was the cause of this. Ianto was a little unsure what to do next, he was learning slowly and he was willing to learn quickly, he thought briefly about using his mouth but that thought was quickly chased away when he heard the door slam shut downstairs and a rather strong cockney voice call out Jack's name.

Jack sit up sharply with surprise and worry on his face sending it all tumbling down for Ianto; of course, why hadn't he thought of it? Someone as gorgeous, talented and rich as Jack bloody Harkness had to have a boyfriend. Why on earth would said gorgeous, talented rich writer ditch his boyfriend for him? Ianto scowled as he quickly jumped off the bed and pulled his clothes on, he was just some dumb rugby player... he was nothing but eyecandy. When Jack saw Ianto getting dressed he did the same then disappeared from the room to go and talk to his boyfriend

"What the hell were you doing upstairs? Have you got someone here?" came that loud voice

"Owen please..." begged Jack, his voice just as loud before the shouting fell quiet and Ianto couldn't hear what they were saying.

Shoes on and he practically threw himself down the stairs, he slide down the last four to crash into the wall at the bottom. He'd been expecting an oil painting but it wasn't exactly what he got; Owen had strong cheekbones and a cruel mouth but hardly looked like the type Jack would go for. Ianto was met with a firm angry scowl when Owen saw him and that was understandable, he was the man his lover was cheating on with

"I'm sorry" he muttered to Owen then grabbed up the last of his things and left with Jack calling him to come back.

Ianto was almost at his flat when his phone went off, it was Toshiko, so he answered it. He'd half been expecting a call from Jack and he felt a little more upset when it wasn't

"Hello" he greeted her as he pressed his phone to his ear

"Hey" she replied "Would you meet me for a coffee? There's stuff we need to talk about"

"Tosh I..." Ianto felt like he'd been turned to stone then hit by a lorry, dealing with his now ex was the last thing he wanted

"Please" she insisted and he sighed

"Sure. Where?" asked Ianto finally giving in to her. Twenty minutes later he was walking in a favourite café to find her sat at a table waiting for him, thankfully the guy he'd found her in bed with wasn't there.

She stood up pulling him into a hug and he stiffened against her, wondering briefly why his body was reacting that way to her when only hours earlier it hadn't. They both sat down and he ordered a strong coffee

"How long has it... no, it shouldn't be my place to ask that"

"Not long" she told him "We met for drinks and one thing led to another... it wasn't planned, it just sort of happened. I knew him from University before we fell out of touch"

"I see" he nodded, he wasn't sure if he was more or less pleased about that information

"Thank you" she whispered making him blink at her in surprise "I know we were together and that things were getting serious and that this must be hard on you... I do respect you and I'm more than grateful for you wanting me to be happy"

"What are you going to do?" Ianto asked her, she picked up her cup bringing to her lips before saying

"I want to be with John" she sipped her drink purposely avoiding his eyes, she didn't really want to see the reaction. In the end Toshiko looked up at him and was surprised to find no anger just sadness and understanding "But I'd still like to have you in my life"

"You're not asking to have us both are you?!" he gasped trying to feign shock but failing miserably, a smirk danced across her mouth as she set her cup down

"No. I want us to be friends... if you don't want to then I more than understand. But I do like you, regardless of what's happened and I'd really like it if we were friends. I know after what I've done that seems like it's asking a lot but..."

"I'd like that too" he interrupted her rambling, Toshiko couldn't help but smile.

"Is it too soon for you to meet him? Properly?"

"A little. Maybe in a few days..." he told her, honestly Ianto wasn't thinking about her and John he was thinking about Jack and that Owen guy. Having your heart broken once was bad enough for twice? Even when you weren't sure you were truly in love with Jack, his mind rationalised. Was it possible to feel heartbroken without actually being in love? He didn't know.

"Okay... you, me and John are going get together with Gwen, Rhys and Jack and we'll have a nice night out"

"Uh Tosh I don't..."

"It won't be that bad. Besides maybe if you're out and about you can hook up with someone? On the rebound"

"I think I'd be better on my own" he confessed with a frustrated sigh, she rolled her eyes at him

"I didn't mean you had to propose to some random girl! Just have some fun... still the same uptight Ianto Jones" she tried to sound playful but that really got to him. Ianto was more than tired of people saying how he was so OCD and uptight and serious! No one had ever taken the time to get to know him properly, not even Tosh, and they'd been together for nearly a year.

"Yeah, yeah sure" nodded Ianto agreeing with her regardless. As he sat there thinking about it the idea had positive weight in his mind... he'd tried drinking, tried accepting, tried forgetting and none of it had done any good. Maybe the best way to forget Jack Harkness was to find a girl, because he  _was_  straight, better than the American and have a fantastic one night stand with her. Yes! That's what he'd do!

"Right I have to go. I have to stop by the University to check on some things" she stood up and he copied her, Tosh stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek "Thank you for being so understanding. I know you're going to be a really good friend"

"No problem" he mumbled as he watched her go.

Jack glared at Owen angrily; just when things had been going so well! Yes, whatever would have happened would have been on the rebound but with Ianto about to go all the way he couldn't care and then his stupid editor had shown up and Ianto took off like someone had shoved a hot poker up his ass... or hadn't as the case had been, thought Jack as he stood scowling at his acerbic editor

"What on earth did you do that for?" he hissed

"Because you're supposed to be working on your next book! The deadline for this part is coming up and it's not going to get written if you're shagging around!"

"I'm not shagging around!" snapped Jack, Owen blinked and fell silent

"You... you're not shagging around? Since when? You're always shagging around... this is different isn't it? That guy..."

"I'm falling for him" explained Jack ducking his head feeling ashamed that he was falling for a breeder. Owen's angry mood softened

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so hard on you" he apologised before leading Jack into the study so they could go over Jack's progress.

"You should be. I think he thinks that you're my boyfriend" Jack told him trying to joke about it but failed miserably. Owen rolled his eyes as he dropped himself onto the couch

"No offence Harkness but I am way out of your league. Now, will you fasten your shirt so we can get down to business?" Jack buttoned up his shirt and handed Owen the printed manuscript so far.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter Five **

Gwen was chopping vegetables avoiding the twinging pains in her lower back when the phone rang, she put the knife down so she could answer expecting it to be her husband but was a little surprised to find it was Jack

"Hey Jack"

"Gwen I nearly slept with Ianto" he blurted, bloody drama queen scowled Gwen feeling suddenly glad she'd put the knife down. And that Jack wasn't here.

"God dammit Jack! I thought I told you to stay away from him!"

"I was staying away from him! He's the one who turned up on my doorstep telling me that he wanted to be with me and that him and Tosh where over"

"Oh Christ!" she rolled her eyes knowing that she'd have to call Toshiko to see if she was okay; she and Ianto had made a pretty cosy couple and Gwen wondered how much damage control she'd need to do. Then something suddenly dawned on her "Wait, what do you mean nearly? It's not like you to only manage a 'nearly'"

"Owen came round for the manuscript so far and Ianto thought he was my boyfriend and took off like the devil was after him"

"Do you know what happened? Between them? I'm going to need to call Tosh to see if she's alright" she explained to him

"Yeah you should do that" Jack told her quietly, his tone made her pause

"Jack?"

"Owen said I was shagging around again, I told him I wasn't and he made me realise that I'm falling for him" he sighed "I'm bloody falling for him!"

"Oh Jack" she apologised to him and he snorted

"Yeah I know. Typical me, falling for a guy I can't have. A straight guy at that! When did the world turn upside down?"

"Do you want to come round? I know Rhys won't mind"

"No that's okay. I think I'm gonna just get ready and have a night on the town, it'll do me good to get out for a bit. Been cooped up for days"

"Okay" she nodded to herself "Well if you still want to come round for dinner you're more than welcome"

"Thanks but no, you have a nice night in with Rhys and give him my love"

"I will do... and Jack? I love you"

"I love you too Gwen. Goodnight" he told her then hung up. She pressed the disconnect before staring at the receiver for a moment then dialled Toshiko's number

"Hey Tosh"

"Hey Gwen, I was just about to call you"

"You were? Is everything okay? Are you okay? I heard about Ianto"

"Huh? How did you find out?" the Japanese woman asked sounding surprised

"I'm a copper, I used my brilliant powers of deduction and detection" she joked trying to make Tosh laugh. If Ianto had finished with her then she'd need cheering up, it was never nice to be dumped

"Did Ianto call you? Is he okay?" she asked making Gwen confused; still worried about him even after what he did to her, she reasoned as she listened to her oriental friend

"No Ianto didn't call me, I haven't heard from him and that's a good thing. You shouldn't be worrying about him not when he dumped you"

"Dumped me?" gasped Tosh "Ianto didn't dump me. I dumped him"

"Huh? Whu?" it was Gwen's turn to be shocked; she nearly told Toshiko about Jack but quickly decided better of it.

"I'm not proud of it but I met an old friend from university, one thing led to another and well we're together now. Ianto walked in on us" she explained and Gwen was angry with Ianto for an entirely different reason. He'd discovered his girlfriend cheating on him so he ran to Jack's open arms like that would make everything better! To make matters worse Jack had gone and fallen for the stupid pig headed rugby player! "How did you find out Gwen?"

"It doesn't matter..."

"Did Ianto call you? I'm worried about him, I spoke to him earlier today and we decided to be friends. He was a little distracted and I don't want him to do anything silly"

"If you want, give me his address and I'll get Rhys to go round and check him when he gets in from work. He'll love that, spending time with a famous rugby player"

"Thanks Gwen you're brilliant"

"I am aren't... oh... ow" she gasped her free hand palming her swollen belly

"Gwen?"

"Tosh I think they baby's coming!" she winced as pain shot through her, she'd been feeling cramps and twinges all day but thought it was another bout of Braxton Hicks.

"Oh God! Well you need to hang up, call Rhys and call an ambulance!" she ordered her friend. Gwen nodded offering a quick 'bye' before hanging up and called Rhys, she couldn't get any answer so she called Jack

"Hello?"

"Jack! Thank god! The baby's coming! I called Rhys and I can't reach him!"

"Don't panic! I'll be right there. Have you called an ambulance?"

"No"

"Do it and I'll get there as soon as I can" he told her before hanging up. Gwen called for an ambulance then waddled to the couch and sat down trying to remember those breathing exercises.

It wasn't long before Jack got there, letting himself in with his spare key he raced up to find Gwen red-faced sitting on the couch with her pants around her knees screaming in pain "Oh God" he gasped as he dropped to his knees in front of and grabbed her hand.

She squeezed his fingers tightly as another contraction hit her making him wince in pain but he was smart enough to remain quiet

"It hurts" she groaned as she pushed

"What are you doing?! Wait for Rhys! Wait for the ambulance!"

"No God Damnit! This baby wants to come into the world and I'm going to BLOODY push Jack friggin Harkness! If Rhys shows his face I'm going to turn his balls into a fucking purse! Aah" her heard tipped back before she lifted it up, exhaustion showing on her face "Help the baby" she begged. Jack just nodded and moved to kneel between her legs, pulling her pants completely off and just did what his friend was asking.

There was blood. A lot of blood and he was close to female parts.   _Female Parts_ ! He hadn't been near them in years! Well, Jack thought briefly, at least the female parts were somewhat familiar with him from when he'd dated Gwen all those years ago and it was only   _one_   set of female parts. What didn't help was something pushing out from her insides, Jack suddenly felt sick

"I think I'm gonna be sick" he moaned. Gwen fought the urge to kick him really hard in the hard, she'd kick him after the baby was out and the ambulance was here and she'd castrated Rhys.

"You throw up on me Jack Harkness and I'm going to make sure you never have sex again!" she roared, Jack clamped his mouth shut before ducking his head looking down at Gwen's... there was a head and all he had to do was catch right?

She was panting and pushing like mad, he almost past out when he saw eyes and a nose appearing. It didn't take long for the head to slide out and he was carefully cradling the baby's head, he had to hook a finger under the tiny armpit and then it was out. Gwen sank back in relief, sobbing tiredly

"It's a boy" he told her over her new son's loud wailing "He's got your lungs"

She held her hands out and he eased the new baby boy into her arms, he sat back leaning against the arm rest then ducked quickly when he saw her foot swinging at him. Gwen caught the top of his head as he tumbled to the floor away from her. Jack sat there startled but couldn't help but smile at the image of mother and son.

The buzzer distracted them both, Gwen smiled sleepily as she looked up at Jack who was slowly climbing to his feet

"Go see who that is" she told him, it was the ambulance crew. Jack let them in then went and called Rhys. He managed to get through to him by calling the company

"Hello, Harwoods. Rhys speaking" said Rhys

"Congratulations! Daddy!" crowed Jack

"Wha... Jack this better not be a joke" he snapped

"No joke. I just delivered your son! The ambulance crew is here and they're going to take mom and son to the hospital"

"I'm on my way!" he said then hung up. Jack just sank against the wall and watching the paramedics working in cleaning Gwen up. If he hadn't been gay before the shock of what just happened would have clearly sent him that way! Too bad it hadn't been Ianto who'd delivered Gwen's baby!

The club was loud and smoky which was strange because there wasn't anyone allowed to smoke in here anymore. He didn't really care about the whys or why nots, all he wanted to do was some serious drinking and find someone to take the edge off. Ianto felt ugly, unloved and unwanted and every other cold descriptive word that began with 'u'. He felt stupid and he hated it; he'd never been the most secure person and now everything had changed; Tosh had left him for another man, which must have meant that he wasn't performing like he should. Was it really a surprise he was questioning his sexuality? All people saw when they looked at him was a big lumbering rugby player with no brains.

Ianto wasn't stupid, he'd been to university studying maths, history and archaeology and left with the best grades imaginable. So what if he played rugby, that didn't mean he was some blundering neanderthal built like a brick shit house! He had feelings and emotions and oh god, he thought, I'm gay! It was a strange time to realise this new fact about himself; in a club surrounded by women. Drunk and horny women at that! He wasn't sure why but he still felt attraction to them but they weren't what he wanted. All he wanted was Jack.

"Hey, don't I know you?" someone dived up against him and her blue drink ended up sloshing over his white shirt "You play for the Blues, doncha. You're that pretty one with the nice arse"

"Ianto Jones and yeah I play for Cardiff" he tried to smile but it just came out tight, she batted her eyelids at him trying to look flirty but she just ended up blinking at him. Ianto couldn't help but laugh at her and she took that as a good sign "So, you have a name?"

"Jessica" she smiled sweetly "So, what's a sweet thing like you doing here? Shouldn't you be lounging in your mansion surrounded by your many girlfriends?"

"Nope. Not tonight..." he told her and she leaned closer pressing her palms against his chest, mostly for balance more than anything else

"That's good. That's really good" she purred as she leaned ever closer still "Want to take me home?"

Not really, he thought, but he couldn't tell her that. Not when she was doing her best to look attractive and remain upright! So he smiled, trying to make her think that he was interested

"Sure. Want to go now?" he asked her, he didn't really want to leave yet. The smoky atmosphere of the club was comforting and Ianto wasn't looking forward to her spending the night; oh the things we do to prove we're normal! He mentally cursed her as she bobbed her head.

Ianto carefully wrapped an arm around her, helping her walk out of the club and they went in search of a taxi.

Owen got out of the car and looked round the street, it was quiet given the early hour but despite the lack of people bustling about he could tell that this was a very popular and nice area of Cardiff. The place he was looking for was in a fancy apartment building, after a quick glance down at the paper in his hand he found the place.

It was a modern building that was aimed at young professional types and kids with too much money to know what to do with. He thought about pressing the buzzer but instead he waited for someone to open the door from the inside.

He went up to the fourth floor in the lift pretending that he was meant to be there and searched the corridor for the apartment he was searching for. Owen looked up and down the corridor before pulling out his custom made lock picks and let himself in. He was glad that he was friends with a copper!

Lights were off and it was all quiet inside which meant that the owner had to still be asleep. Owen looked at his watch and scowled, it was fairly early, not quite half seven. He could look round and see why Jack was so madly in love with this dumb piece of eye candy.

He'd expected something different than what was there, the kitchen was tidy with only a single man's dishes sitting in the sink to be washed, the counters were clear and food and plates neatly stacked in the cupboards. The bathroom was in a similar state of order which surprised him further; he hadn't really imagined someone who played rugby professional to be so well kept!

Finally he turned his eyes to the bedroom knowing that Ianto Jones was lying in there and now it was time to set things straight; Jack was mad for him and he knew how Jack got when he was distracted. Yeah this was completely for the sake of the book, Owen told himself he was fooling himself that he wasn't doing this because he cared about his friend.

The bedroom was less than tidy but that was to be expected, given that the bed had more than one occupant! Owen scowled then kicked the mattress sharply

"Wake Up!" he roared angrily, Ianto jerked awake lifting his head up groggily while the woman groaned pulling the blanket up over her head. He leaned down and tugged the blanket away from her "Put your knickers on and get out!"

"Who the hell are you?" she mumbled quietly as she cradled her head with one hand

"Just get dressed and get out" he repeated, she slid from the bed and pulled her clothes on. She the room quickly, she had enough sense to leave her number in his living room before she left completely

"How the hell did you get in my house? Who are you?" grumbled Ianto as he sat up

"Use that grey squishy thing between your ears and I'm sure it'll come to you" sneered Owen angrily

"You're Jack's..."

"I'm married" Owen interrupted him when Ianto remembered, the younger man's eyes widened almost comically

"I-I..."

"Shut up!" hissed the irritated editor "Jack is... god only knows why but he's taken a real shine to you and I thought I might as well come here and try and convince you that you and him being together would be a good thing. I never expected you to be with some tramp"

Ianto scowled staggering out of the bed doing his best to ignore his pounding headache, he pulled his pants on not caring that Owen had seen him naked

"Why would me and him being together be a good thing? Don't you give a damn about him? Or do you always do this? Offer him off to the most interested party?"

"I'm doing this because I   _do_   give a dann about him..." Owen sighed before pressing his lips tight "I've never seen him like this before"

"Then why don't you work it out? Instead of trying to push him on me?" snapped Ianto as he stalked from his room dressed only in the jeans he'd been wearing a few hours ago

"Work it out? What...?" Owen called as he trailed after the Welshman "Wait, you think that me and Jack... Heh, I'm married. To a woman... Jack's single"

"Jack's..." Ianto paused turning away from manhandling the bread into the toaster, suddenly he felt like the world had fallen out from beneath him "Oh, oh God"

Owen watched as Ianto's stomach heaved and then he was pushing the rugby played from the kitchen to the bathroom where he threw up.

He stood there watching him throw up and he wondered if Ianto had slept with that girl because he thought Jack was unattainable? Had he been trying to prove to himself that he was completely straight? No that can't have been it, he seemed pretty into being with Jack. So then why had he slept with some drunken tart?

Ianto sank back against the sink wrapping his arms around himself to ward off the chill from the porcelain

"Why did you sleep with her?"

"Why the hell do you want to know?" he growled sick of this stupid London invading his life and his home giving him nothing but bad news "So you can tell Jack how I broke his little heart? I'd bet you'd be happy with that! Make him believe I'm some stupid monster so he'll get over me quicker!"

"Look, I don't try and understand it. I could never give up women, especially not my woman, it's just something I'd never do.   _But_ ... what I do get is that if two people love each other then they should at least give it a go"

"Has someone been dropping heavy romantic books on your head? Love? Jack doesn't love me! All he wanted was for me to fuck him!" he rolled his eyes feeling the tears bite "And I couldn't even do that! I'm not man enough for a girlfriend and I'm not man enough for a boyfriend!"

Owen came over crouching down in front of Ianto, tentatively resting his hands on the sobbing Welshman's knees

"He wants you. He wants you so much he bought potato products drenched in hydrogenated fat and chicken wings... for as long as I can remember Jack had never done that for anyone. Well, for Gwen but she doesn't count. Clean yourself up and let me take you round to his"

"What about that girl?"

"She's gone. I kicked her out and since you're not officially dating Jack yet I'm going to let it slide. You don't mention it and I won't, got a deal?" Ianto nodded so Owen stood up smiling with accomplishment "Good. Now, Ianto Jones... if you so much as break his heart, or affect his skills as a writer, I will hunt you down and make you sorry"

"You've been friends with him for a really long time haven't you?"

"Nearly eleven years, we've studying together, lived together... hell I even introduced Gwen to him! All he is to me now is my friend and I'm his editor, nothing more than that. I love Katie too much to fall off the fence"

"Thanks" Ianto stood up to wash his face then he realised something. Turning back to Owen with a questioning look on his face "How did you get in?" Owen just grinned.

 

TBC...


End file.
